Aboriginal
Art
CULTURAL TRADITIONS
Charlene McDermott
Through Aboriginal
Artwork we have learnt
stories of our past,
journeys and day to day
living of our ancestors.
We have learnt more of
the creator ancestors
who made the trees,
rocks, waterholes, rivers,
mountains and stars, as
well as the animals and
plants.
• We are told of the good
and bad behaviours that
are demonstrated in
Dreaming stories as
ancestors hunt, marry,
care for children and
defend themselves from
their enemies.
• Like European art,
Aboriginal art
represents and
symbolises the world
and the beliefs of
people. Traditional
Aboriginal art
represents the
Dreaming but is often
also a vital part of
ceremonies.
The concept of art in traditional
Aboriginal society is very different to
the concept of art in European
society. In traditional Aboriginal
societies, activities like dancing,
singing, body decorations, sand
drawings, making implements or
weaving baskets were not
considered to be separate activities
called art and design. All of these
activities were a part of the
Dreaming and a part of normal daily
life.
• There was no concept of a
special type of person,
artists, because, in a
sense, everyone was an
artist. This is changing as
tradition-oriented
communities adapt to
aspects of western culture
although the number of
'artists' in any Aboriginal
group would generally be
far greater than in non-
Aboriginal communities.
Aboriginal people traditionally used the
materials available to them to
symbolise the Dreaming and their
world. As a result, art forms varied in
different areas of Australia.
• In the central desert, ground drawing was a
very important style of art and throughout
Australia rock art as well as body painting and
decoration were common although varying in
styles, method, materials and meaning. There
is and was a wide range of traditional
Aboriginal art forms.
• Communities today throughout
Australia still produce traditional
art, which has traditional
content and meaning. However,
some methods of producing the
art may be contemporary.
Such as the paint or the canvas
used in the work, or even the
change in style of the painting.
• For thousands of
years Aboriginal Art
has played a major
part in teaching more
about our identity. It
is important to keep
this wonderful part of
our culture alive for
many more to come!